The Sidekick Strike
by Panamint
Summary: Feeling unappreciated, Robin and Kid Flash decide to go on strike. Then their senior partners disappear while investigating a JLA case. Sidekicks to the rescue!
1. Chapter 1

_**The Sidekick Strike**_

**DISCLAIMER:** **Not mine. Nothing. None of it. Happy now? Good, cuz I'm not. :(**

**WARNING: Parts of this fic—especially the beginning—may sound a bit 60's-ish, so if you don't like that version, don't bother me about it, because I've already warned you! So there!**

**INSPIRATION: I'll try to make this short. We were watching _A Pup Named_ _Scooby-Doo_ (and I ain't ashamed to admit it!) one day, when Shaggy and Scooby were daydreaming about being their favorite superheroes, Commander Cool and Mellow Mutt (don't ask). Anyway, every time Shaggy would start saying 'I', Scooby would kinda go 'ah-hem!', thus forcing Shaggy to give him credit as well. I commented how Robin should have done that on the 60s Batman show once in a while and my sister suggested that he oughtta go on strike about it. I threw in Wally because it sounded like a Wally-ish thing to do, and there you have it. But I'll just start the story now, since you're probably not reading this anymore anyway…**

* * *

"Well, Caped Crusader, you've done it again! Congratulations!" 

"Thank you, Commissioner."

Thirteen-year-old Robin felt his eyes roll at the sound of these oft-repeated words. Whenever he and Batman would run into the Commissioner at the end of a case, Batman would always receive a hearty congratulations from Gotham City's chief of police. And Batman would always thank him politely before dashing off again, with the Boy Wonder by his side.

_But does he ever give ME any credit! NO!_ Robin thought irritably. _Who's the one who figured out all of the Riddler's riddles? ME! Who's the one who stopped the Riddler from getting away and got socked in the eye in the process? ME! Who's the one who's gonna have to explain to everyone else about the black eye? ME! Holy forgetfulness! Talk about being underappreciated!_

But, as usual, Robin said nothing about this particularly annoying pet peeve. He said nothing as he and Batman headed back to the Batmobile. He said nothing on the drive back to the Batcave, and he said nothing as they changed into more conventional clothes. And he only bid his mentor a quiet good-night before retiring to his own room for a few hours' rest.

_At least it's summer vacation, so I don't have to worry about school…_

"Stick 'em up, Wonder Boy!" a deep voice cried out.

"Hello, Wally," Dick Grayson sighed without even turning around.

"Aww, how'd ya guess?" a much higher voice moaned.

For the second time in one night, Dick rolled his eyes. Wally West—perhaps better known as Flash's sidekick, Kid Flash—had been Dick's best friend for several years now. A bit to Bruce's chagrin, Dick had invited Wally to stay over at Wayne Manor for a couple of weeks while Batman and Flash worked on an important JLA case concerning the Joker (It had actually started out as a simple case of the Joker causing trouble again, although it had later been turned over to the Justice League, which was why Robin and Kid Flash were being allowed to help out.)

"Well it wasn't exactly brain surgery," answered Dick, turning around.

"Yikes! Rob! What happened!" Wally exclaimed, pointing at Dick's left eye, which now had pretty shades of red all around it.

"Don't ask. All I know is that I'll have one heckuva shiner there in the morning."

"Too bad they didn't getcha in both eyes. Then we could say that we were playing around as raccoons and that you mistook the permanent markers for the face paint."

"Oh, shut up. Hey, when did you and Barry get in, anyway?"

Wally's usually cheerful face immediately clouded over, and the next words that came out of his mouth were so harsh that even Bruce would have expressed surprise:

"If you ever mention the name Barry again, I'll fix it so we _can_ use the raccoon excuse!"

Dick stood there, shocked, as Wally stalked over to the small balcony and gazed out over the moonlit grounds of Wayne Manor.

After a short pause, Dick finally regained his senses and followed Wally out to the balcony to see what was bothering him.

"Yeah, well, while you and Bats were off chasing that hyper green guy, Uncle Barry and I found out where Joker was hiding and went to investigate. Sadly, we happened to run into the creep himself, and while Uncle Barry gets to sneak into the backroom to find out exactly what it is the Joker's been working on, guess who gets to be the live bait?"

"Boy, do I know how that feels," Dick sympathized. "Did Barry find anything?"

Wally watched as Dick sat down next to him on the railing of the balcony, and then continued to vent, "No, and that's not the worst of it! Do you realize that I spent at least twenty minutes zipping around, trying to keep that guy's attention and risking my neck in the process, and Uncle Barry didn't even have the courtesy to thank me for it?"

"Tell me about it."

"I mean, how many times do we sidekicks go out on a limb just to crack a case? How many times do we get kicked, clobbered, kidnapped, and very nearly_ killed_, just so that our senior partners can take all the credit?"

"Yeah, you said it!" agreed Dick, feeling the anger returning. "We work every bit as hard as Batman and Flash, but do _we_ ever get any attention?"

"No way, José!"

"Exactly!"

The two teens sat in silence for a moment, thinking about the wrongness of it all. For a couple of guys who spent their entire lives fighting for justice, Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen were surprisingly unfair to those closest to them.

"Ya know something, Wally?" Dick said at last.

"What?"

"We need a union."

"Yeah," Wally conceded with a nod. "Boy, do we ever need a union. That would—what's a union?"

Dick blinked, somewhat taken aback.

"Um… well… I don't know, exactly… but I have heard about unions on the evening news a lot lately. Seems that whenever a union doesn't like something, they draw attention to themselves by staging some strike until their boss meets their demands or something…"

If they had been cartoons, the viewers would have seen two little light bulbs go off simultaneously over Dick and Wally's heads.

And then, turning to face each other with triumphant grins…

"We'll go on strike!" they yelled.

-

"You're going to what!" Barbara yelled incredulously into the phone, sounding like she thought the two boys had lost their minds. Which they very well might have, all things considered.

"We're going to go on strike," Dick repeated. "Wally and I figure we deserve a little more than we've been getting lately."

"I should have known that Wally was involved in this somehow," she grumbled. Barbara Gordon had only met Barry's nephew once, but that was one meeting she would never forget.

"Look, Babs, the reason we called you is because we thought you might like to join us," Dick explained. "You're sorta like a sidekick, and Bruce doesn't treat you any better than he does me."

"No way, buster! If you and that bonehead Wally want to strike, go right ahead. Me, I'm perfectly happy with all my appendages the way they are."

"He's not a bonehead. And what's that supposed to mean, anyway?"

"It means that, as soon as Bruce and Barry find out about this strike thing, they're going to tear you both limb from limb!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Babs."

"I mean it, Circus Boy," Barbara said seriously. "You and Wally are playing a dangerous game here. You have no idea what the consequences could be…"

"Don't worry—we know what we're doing!" replied Dick with a laugh. "'The squeaky wheel gets the oil', right? See you later, Babs."

Barbara sighed as Dick hung up. Would those boys never learn?

"Good luck, Circus Boy," she whispered nonetheless.

* * *

**Me: Yeah, yeah, I came back. And I'd like to apologize in advance for any continuity errors I've made. I don't know much about Flash, but now I madeWally the same age as Dick! And he's Kid Flash! See, I'm improving!**

**Dick: What are you DOING here? I thought you had left!**

**Me: Only temporarily, my fine feathered friend. (to readers) Oh, how I've missed you! I know it's been a long wait, but I promise I'll never desert you again...!**

**Dick: Uh, Panamint...**

**Me: You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the laptop, and those wonderful people out there in the dark! Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up...**

**Dick: Oh, brother... and yes, those really were lines from _Sunset Boulevard._ She just changed 'cameras' to 'laptop'. Really, really strange...**


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Two_**

**DISCLAIMER:** **They still aren't mine. And I'm still really, really sorry about continuity errors. I don't read comic books, except the Archie ones, but that really doesn't have anything to do with this story, does it? Just for the record, I did try to find out about Barry and Wally by checking out the Flash category on this site. I only found one story with Wally as Kid Flash. And that was in a BATMAN story! (rolls eyes) Well... here goes...**

* * *

8:00 p.m. was the time of night when Bruce and Dick became Batman and Robin and went out onto the streets of Gotham to look for crime. 

Usually.

Tonight was going to be different, even if Batman didn't know it yet.

"So," began Wally as he threw the ball back to Dick (okay, so they weren't supposed to be playing baseball in the Batcave, but then again, they weren't really supposed to be going on strike, either).

"So what?" said Dick.

"So are you gonna tell Bats we're striking or what?"

"Me!" Dick half-shouted, so startled that he almost dropped the ball. "I thought _you_ were going to tell him!"

"Why me? He's your senior partner!"

Dick gulped, suddenly feeling a little nervous about telling Batman that he was on strike. And he was even more nervous about telling him why.

"Okay, but you have to tell Barry," Dick insisted.

Wally, too, felt a few butterflies fluttering around. But one thought of the little incident last night was enough to make him nod determinedly.

Ten minutes later, at eight o'clock sharp, Dick and Wally heard the footsteps of their senior partners, indicating that it was time to go looking for the Joker once again. The two boys glanced at each other, held up their crossed fingers, and went over to greet Bruce and Barry.

"Well, what are you two doing down here?" Barry asked in a friendly tone.

"And why aren't you dressed yet?" Bruce added, sounding a lot less friendly.

Dick and Wally exchanged glances, each motioning for the other to say something, until Dick finally managed to get out, "W-Well… we're not going tonight."

"Really," said Bruce, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Really."

"Why not?" Barry inquired. "You're feeling alright, aren't you?"

"We're fine, Uncle Barry," Wally assured him. Then, nudging Dick in the ribs, he muttered under his breath, "Tell 'em, Rob."

After shooting Wally an extremely annoyed look through his one good eye, Dick took a deep breath and explained that they were going on strike. It sounded a lot more ridiculous now that he had an audience over the age of twenty.

Sure enough…

"This whole thing is just ridiculous, Richard," Bruce scolded. "Now get into your costume and get in the car. We don't have time for games."

Taking another breath, Dick said somewhat-firmly, "I told you, Bruce. We're not going."

Barry took a moment to eye the pair, and then decided, "Bruce, I think they're serious."

He actually sounded a little worried at the thought of his nephew 'on strike', and Wally briefly considered saying that this was just another joke of his.

But then he changed his mind.

"Well, Wally can stay here and strike if he wants to, but Richard is coming with me. We'll discuss this _after_ we've caught the Joker." Then, through gritted teeth, Bruce ground out in his most menacing voice, "Now _get changed_ and _get in the car_."

But all that did was make Dick even angrier. Why was Bruce treating him like he was no better than some crook? He was his partner! He deserved a little respect! This was exactly what he was protesting against!

And so, with a quick shake of the head, Dick crossed his arms stubbornly and stayed right where he was.

"Fine. But Barry and I are leaving."

"Go ahead, then," Dick replied, turning his head away. He couldn't believe how stubborn Bruce was being about this. Surely even he could tell that he wasn't treating his partner any differently than he did his worst enemies!

_He'll feel different about it in a few days. He'll see. He needs me. You just wait. He needs me…_

_-_

Seven days. The longest seven days of Dick's life, and Bruce still hadn't even offered to discuss terms with him and Wally. Alfred had long since heard about the sidekick strike, and he supported the boys whole-heartedly. Yet still, Bruce and Barry had not relented. Perhaps they thought it was just a phase that their teens were going through, that it would end as quickly as Wally's voice had changed (Dick's had yet to do so, much to his own exasperation).

"Come on, man, it's been a week already!" Wally protested. He was following Dick around the Batcave, trying to convince him that the strike had been a stupid idea.

"Well, we can't give up now!" Dick insisted. "That'll show 'em that we're not serious, and everything will be the same as it was before!"

"But how long are we gonna have to keep this up, Rob? It's getting boring."

Even Dick had to admit that he missed his nightly ventures as the Boy Wonder. And he was getting so frustrated with this strike that if he didn't beat something up soon, he'd probably end up punching Wally. And, truth be told, it wouldn't take much from Wally to annoy Dick into doing that.

"Yeah, I know," Dick finally admitted in a soft tone.

There was a slight pause before Wally asked, "So what do we do?"

Before Dick could answer, Barry entered the Batcave. The boys looked up, half-hoping that he had finally come to his senses and was ready to talk. But no, he just walked straight past them as if he hadn't even noticed their presence (which he most certainly had) and headed for the changing room. Less than five seconds later, he came out again, in costume, and went over to the JL Transporter at the back of the Cave.

"Where ya going, Uncle Barry?" asked Wally, sounding almost shy about it.

"Watchtower," was the quick response. "Batman thinks he's got a lead on the Joker's whereabouts."

"He does?" Dick piped up.

"Yes."

And with that, Flash pushed a few buttons and vanished from sight.

"Holy kick-in-the-head," Dick moaned, heartbroken. Turning to his friend, he queried sadly, "You know what this means, dontcha Wally?"

"Yeah," the red-headed boy answered in an equally unhappy tone. "It means they really don't need us after all!"

Slumping into a chair, Dick continued to wonder aloud, "But how could this be? We were supposed to prove to them that they needed us."

"Instead, we just showed ourselves that we're nothin' but a couple of useless sidekicks," sighed Wally, sitting on the table next to the Batcomputer.

"Babs was right," concluded the despondent Boy Wonder. "We never should have gone on this stupid strike…"

* * *

**Me: Yeah, okay, it was kind of short, but I made up for it by updating earlier. Next update should be today, just because I want this story completely posted before my cousin comes over. She arrives April 30th, and my family and I will be on vacation (New York, D.C., Disneyland...) until May 11th. So I'm trying to finish before the end of the month.**

**Dick: Hey, since when does Barry use the Batcave?**

**Me: Since it became convenient for my story. And don't worry, folks, it gets weirder in later chapters. The one after next is a real doozy... (snickers madly)**

**Dick: ...I don't think I'm going to like this...**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**Zarz-**Yay, first review! We're very glad to hear from you, and she's even happier to hear that she's done something right for a change. ;) Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**jubbilia2004-**Panamint says you're welcome. And ifeverybody elsedidn't understand that review, yes, this is panamint's sister, who appreciated being mentioned in the 'Inspiration' in chapter one. :)

**Yourperfectdisaster-**Believe me, 'interesting' is NOT the word for it! XD

**kokomocalifornia-**Thank you. :)

**Robin Knight-**Well, thanks for the warm welcome! It's nice to know there are people out there who like this stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Three_**

**DISCLAIMER:** **Sure. Sure I own them. I'm also the King of Siam, the guy who played Riff in _West Side Story _and the inventor of chocolate donuts. Yes, folks, that was indeed sarcasm.**

* * *

About an hour later, Alfred came down with a tray of milk and cookies for his two young charges. He expected to have to scold them for the twentieth time about no baseball in the Batcave. Instead, he found two miserable teenagers, sitting perfectly still near the Batcomputer. 

"May I inquire as to why you are wearing such long faces, young masters?" the butler asked as he set the tray down. He was surprised when not even Wally moved to touch the tray.

"Flash doesn't need me," Wally said in an uncharacteristically dejected voice.

"And Batman doesn't need me, either," added Dick.

"Nonsense!" Alfred insisted.

"This strike is nonsense!" Dick cried out, pounding a fist on the table. "They don't even care that we're not out there catching the Joker with 'em! In fact, I bet they're glad we're not with them. Less baggage to drag along."

Alfred took a moment to study the downhearted teens before him. They truly believed that their senior partners didn't need them? And just that morning, Alfred had heard Bruce and Barry saying how much they missed working with their boys!

"Well, young sirs," Alfred said at last, "it would seem that the only thing to do now is prove to Master Bruce and Master Barry that they do indeed need you."

"Yeah, right."

"We tried that already, and look where it got us!"

"Very well. But you know what they say," the elderly man advised just before making his way back upstairs. "'There is more than one way to skin a cat'."

After a few more moments of moping, Wally ventured, "Maybe the old guy's got a point, Rob. Maybe we can—"

"Oh, come on, let's face it, Wally," Dick interrupted. "We've had it. Robin and Kid Flash won't ever see the light of day again. It's hopeless."

"I guess you're right," said Wally in a shaky voice.

As if on cue, a strange beeping sound began to fill the Batcave. Wally glanced around, puzzled by what he heard, but Dick instantly recognized the noise and felt his heart leap with joy at the sound of it.

"It's the communicator in my utility belt! Batman's calling me!" he exclaimed.

Dick ran off to the changing room to get his costume and the all-important device, but Wally, being the Fastest Boy Alive, beat his friend by quite a large margin. By the time Dick made it to the changing room, Wally had already found the Robin costume and was digging around the belt to find the communicator.

"Is this it?" he asked excitedly, holding up a funny little blue object.

"Yeah! Give it to me!"

"Say please…" Wally taunted with a grin as he kept the communicator just out of Dick's reach. Now that he knew they were needed after all, he was in the mood to pull a few pranks. Dick, however, did not share this view and threatened to tell Bruce exactly who had put the peanut butter in his sock drawer last April Fools' Day unless he got the communicator RIGHT NOW.

"Okay, okay, geez…"

Wally handed the communicator to Dick, who quickly composed himself and said in a completely casual voice, "Yeah, Batman?"

_Can't let him think I'm desperate, _he thought.

But instead of his mentor's deep voice, Dick's ears were greeted with the sound of maniacal, high-pitched laughter.

Dick and Wally stared at each other with wide eyes.

The Joker!

The two boys were frozen in place as the insane giggling continued. How had the Joker gotten hold of Batman's communicator? The Dark Knight must be in trouble!

"Batman? Aww, Robby, I'm hurt!" the voice on the other end cried out at last. "Don't you recognize an old friend when you hear one?"

"What do you want, Joker?" Dick demanded. He tried to sound as intimidating as Bruce would have, which wasn't easy considering his voice hadn't changed yet. "Where's Batman? What have you done with him, you fiend!"

"And Flash, too!" Wally put in.

_Sheesh, even Wally sounds more menacing than I do. Stupid hormones!_

"Don't worry, Boy Blunder, they're perfectly safe. For the moment," the Joker told them, suddenly sounding more ominous than both Dick and Wally put together. "I just called to let them say one last good-bye to their side-tracked sidekicks!"

There was a funny noise from the other end before a slightly-dazed voice called tentatively for Kid Flash.

"Flash!" Wally yelled, snatching the communicator from Dick's grasp. "Flash, what happened? Where are you? Are you okay?"

All of a sudden, a resounding crash was heard from the Joker's end of the line. Several frantic shouts followed (was that the name 'Wonder Woman' they heard?), until everything ended in two hard thumping noises that sounded like bodies falling to the floor.

The two boys yelled for their partners, but the only answer they got was more wild laughter from the Joker amid a background of odd mechanical sounds.

"What have you done with them?" Dick practically screamed. Now he really couldn't care less if he sounded desperate or not!

"Looks like you won't get to say good-bye after all!" the Clown Prince of Crime cried jovially. "Oh, but if you really want to say good-bye, then you have until the morning edition comes out! And remember, boys—I'll be_ watching_ you!"

(Click)

"Batman? Flash!"

But there was no answer.

"Holy kidnappings, Wally…" Dick said slowly, looking devastated. "What're we gonna do now?"

"_Find_ them! What do you _think_ we're gonna do!" the other boy retorted. But, in spite of the confident response he had given, Wally's face registered panic.

"How?" Dick wanted to know.

The boys were silent for a minute, deep in thought. That was a good question, actually. And both sadly acknowledged that they'd already have an answer to that question if their senior partners were there.

"Well," Wally spoke up at last, "what was it the Joker said just before he hung up? Something about the morning edition?"

"Yeah…" Dick responded thoughtfully. "He said that we have until the morning edition comes out if we want to say good-bye to Batman and Flash… and that he'll be watching us…"

Wally glanced around nervously, as if expecting to see a periscope poking up somewhere.

"Ya know, 'morning edition' sounds sort of like a newspaper," observed Wally, still looking around.

"Wait a minute!"

Dick raced back to the Batcomputer (this time, Wally chose to follow his friend instead of beat the heck out of him) and began plugging in letters and numbers at an incredible rate.

"You have an idea?" asked Wally hopefully.

"Duh," Dick muttered, still intent on his research. Then, "Ha! Got it! Take a look at this."

Wally looked.

"'_The Gotham Snoopster_'? THAT'S your answer, a stupid nonsense paper?"

"Sure, it makes perfect sense! Like you said, 'morning edition' could be a reference to a newspaper. And he said he'd be 'watching' us. 'Snoop' is a synonym for 'watch', right?" Dick explained.

"And those background noises we heard… could have been printing machines!" Wally concluded. "But Rob, this article says that _The Gotham Snoopster _went out of business several months ago."

"What better place for a crook to hide out?"

"But if it's out of business, then what were the printing machines doing on?"

"The Joker could be using them for some devious plot!" exclaimed the Boy Wonder, getting more excited by the minute. "Hold on a sec while I print out a map… hmm, 123 Kane Street… gosh, that's all the way on the other side of the city!"

Wally gazed at the article in question. He read a couple of paragraphs, only to realize—with total horror—that their morning editions had been released at 5:00 every day, which meant that they had less than six hours to save their partners and capture the Joker!

_But Rob can't travel fast enough to get to this place in time to rescue **anybody**!_ _At least not on foot,_ Wally thought. _And as puny as he is, I know I can't carry him._

"Wally, get dressed," Dick's commanding voice interrupted his thoughts. "We've got a crook to catch!"

Dick vanished into the changing room, and Wally waited until he came out to get into his own costume. He used his free time to glance around hurriedly, hoping to find the solution to his problem right there in the Batcave. And, surprisingly enough, he did:

_The Batmobile!_

* * *

**Me: Yes, Kane Street. :P And dare we ask what Wally's plans are?**

**Dick: No. And where was your brain when you thought up the name to that newspaper? On vacation?**

**Me: NO. Jerk... anyway, I did warn you that it may sound a little like the sixties series in spots. Therefore, any and all useless complaints on this subject will be turned over to my assistant. And you don't want that to happen.**

**(Displays Denny the tribble from _Star Trek: The Original Series_, who is now bearing all 2700 of his sharp little tribble teeth.)**

**Dick (rolling his eyes): Tribbles don't have teeth, TAP.**

**Me: This one does. MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**Dick: (sigh)**


	4. Chapter 4

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Four_**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Batman and Company. I also adapted one of the scenes and took one of the lines in this chapter from _Return to the Batcave. _(cough) Yeah. Not that I've seen it, but I've read enough to know what I'm talking about. Oh, yeah, and I don't own _Return to the Batcave_ either, although I wish I did. Even a copy of the DVD would be nice...**

* * *

"Okay, KF," Robin announced, using his own nickname for Kid Flash as he tucked the map into his utility belt. "Time to go. You ready?… Wally? Hey, Wally! Where are you? WALLY!" 

"Right here, Wonder Boy!"

Robin was all set to yell at Kid Flash for using that much-hated nickname, but then laughed when he saw that the red-head was sitting in the passenger's seat of the Batmobile.

"Okay, enough fooling around," said Robin at last. "We don't have much time."

"I'm not fooling around," Kid Flash answered. "And unless you think you can walk more than thirty miles by morning with enough time left over to save Flash and Bats, hop in."

The smile faded from Robin's face as he realized that his friend wasn't kidding.

"Look, buster, you know that I can't drive," he insisted. But, in spite of these protestations, Robin found himself slowly walking towards Batman's precious car.

"Hey, I know you're not as fast as I am, but do you think you could pick up the pace just a _wee_ bit?" Kid Flash put in. "I doubt if the Joker's gonna sit around and wait for us to show up to thwart his plans!"

Robin glared, but he knew that there was quite a bit of truth in what Kid Flash was saying. And so, after groaning "Batman is _so_ gonna kill me", he climbed into the car.

"Hey, why do I have to drive?" he whined.

"Because if we end up wrecking the car, Bats will probably get way less mad at you than at me. He's _your_ partner."

"How do I let you talk me into these things?"

"Just start the car. Otherwise, two-sevenths of the Justice League could very well be breakfast cereal by the time we get there."

Robin sighed, once again realizing that his fellow sidekick had a point. And so, he tentatively reached forward and turned the keys in the ignition…

Both teens jumped as the famous Batmobile came to life with a roar, and then quieted down to a steady hum.

"…It doesn't seem so loud from the passenger's side…" Robin observed warily. "And it seems a lot smaller, too…"

"Quit griping and let's go!" Kid Flash shouted impatiently.

Robin stared at the formidable buttons and equipment before him. Then, after turning the steering wheel a little from side to side, he suggested that Kid Flash drive instead.

"Why?"

"Well, I-I don't know, KF, I really think you should do the driving."

"But why?"

"I just think—"

"Just give me one good reason why, Robin! That's all I want, just one good—!"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T REACH THE PEDALS!" Robin shrieked at the top of his lungs. "THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!"

Kid Flash blinked in surprise, and then turned his head sideways to see under the steering wheel. Sure enough, Robin's elf-shoes were mere millimeters away from the pedals. A short growth spurt would probably be enough to take care of that problem, but they really didn't have time to wait for that to happen.

"Are you sure you can't reach?" asked Kid Flash.

Robin muttered something under his breath and slouched a little lower in the seat. He could now reach the pedals perfectly.

"This isn't very comfortable," complained Batman's sidekick.

Unfortunately, at that very moment, his foot touched the accelerator, and both boys screamed in panic as the Batmobile lurched forward violently. But before they could hit the wall, Robin happily found the brake and slammed his foot down on it as hard as his painful position would allow.

"Holy car sickness," whimpered a very pale Boy Wonder, sitting upright with his arms wrapped around his stomach. "I think I'm gonna throw up…"

"Well, maybe we can adjust the seat a bit," suggested Kid Flash, completely unaffected by the little incident with the gas pedal. He began searching around the dashboard for a button that would do just that.

"Hey, what's this…?" he wondered aloud, his finger headed straight for a big blue button right in the middle.

"No, don't push that—!" Robin started.

Too late. Kid Flash gave the button a jab, and a stream of oil was promptly sprayed right into the Boy Wonder's scrunched-up face. Kid Flash just laughed hysterically and watched as he blindly fumbled for the button that would turn it off.

"Oooh, sorry, I didn't know it was loaded!" howled the red-head, wiping tears of joy from his eyes.

"_Ack_!" Robin spluttered, wiping his oil-filled eyes with his gloves and then glancing down as the oil dripped onto his bright-red vest. "I told you not to hit that button, you moron!"

"What's your problem, Wonder Boy?" Kid Flash snickered. "The oil goes so well with your mask!"

Robin glowered viciously, and then wiped his dirty gloves all over the face of the giggling boy beside him.

"Yuck…" mumbled Kid Flash.

"Funny, I can't say the same thing about you," Robin commented wryly as he indicated Kid Flash's stained yellow mask.

"_Very funny._"

"I thought so. Now hurry up and get into the driver's seat. You're taller than I am."

"Yeah, by what? Two inches?"

"Just do it!"

There was much grumbling from both boys as they changed places, fastened their seatbelts, and prayed for the best.

Of course, when you get Dick Grayson and Wally West together in the same room, things have a tendency not to go as planned. Especially when you get one of them behind the wheel of a car, as we just witnessed. But now that they had someone in the driver's seat who could actually reach the pedals and see out the window at the same time, things were about to get much worse.

"Be afraid, Wonder Boy," teased Kid Flash as he gritted his teeth and put the Batmobile into reverse gear.

Robin didn't even have time to answer that before the car went screeching backwards into a table, knocking it to the floor.

"Be _very_ afraid…" continued the teen driver, shifting the car back into forward and sending them crashing into another table. That one went over as well, bringing a very expensive computer and several pieces of glass chemistry equipment with it.

"Wally…" Robin moaned desperately. But before he could say anything else, Kid Flash once again sent them hurtling backwards. This time, they bumped straight into the staircase that led up to the Manor.

"OW!" Robin howled.

"Sorry!" yelled Kid Flash, going into forward gear for the fourth time.

"Wally…" Robin groaned one last time before they shot out of the Batcave and, after knocking the lower branches off of several trees, sped down the road towards Gotham.

* * *

**Dick: I suppose you think that's amusing, don't you?**

**Me: Absolutely! And it gets even moreamusing later on! Incidentally, I just made up the 'KF' bit myself. I got lazy and didn't want to type outKid Flash all the time. It sounds kind of clumsy if you use it too much anyway.**

**Dick (disgusted): THAT figures.**

**Me: ...Hey, I posted two chapters in one day, and nobody even had the courtesy to review once? Ah, well. Doesn't bug me too much. I mean, there are some people who never get any reviews at all. I guess I should be grateful for the five I've already got.**

**Dick: Wow! You actually made sense! Cool!**

**Me: Well, nobody can go uphill all the time. Everybody has setbacks.**

**Dick: This can't possibly be you. You must be quoting somebody.**

**Me: Yeah! Me!**

**Dick: No way. I'm doing research and getting back to you on that...**

**Me: Why can't you just trust me?**

**Dick: (rolls around in hysterics)**

**Me: Sigh...**


	5. Chapter 5

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Five_**

**DISCLAIMER: No, they're not mine, and apparently, the nickname 'KF' isn't mine either. Thank you to the reviewer who pointed that out to me. :) Ah, well. It was fun owning it while it lasted.**

* * *

Although it was really only about half an hour after they left the Cave, it seemed like an eternity before Kid Flash finally—literally—slammed on the brakes. 

"We're here!" he announced happily as he hopped out of the car. "Gee, that was fun. We oughtta do it again sometime."

"_Fun?_" Robin repeated, ignorant of how ridiculous he looked with the dried oil on his face and costume, the leaves and small branches sticking out of his hair, and the slightly greenish tint of his face. "You think that was _FUN?_"

Robin continued to rant, getting louder and louder, as he clambered out of the car: "Holy whiplash, KF! Temporarily _ignoring_ the part when you crashed through that window and burst in on those people on the couch who were…" Letting his voice trail off as he shuddered at the memory, Robin went on, louder still, "Do you realize that we hit _seven_ parked cars, knocked down about a _dozen_ trees, ran through _three_ red lights, all but _destroyed_ that poor lady's begonias, and rammed straight into a _squad car!_"

"We got away from him, didn't we?"

"AAARRRGH!" Robin howled, pulling his longish hair in frustration. "Whatever the heck could have possessed ME to let YOU drive the Batmobile is a mystery to me!"

"I think the words you are looking for are 'necessity' and 'good judgment'. Just look!" Kid Flash insisted, pointing at the neat and shiny black Batmobile. "Not a scratch on her!"

Looking up to the heavens, Robin put his hands together and whimpered quietly, "Kill me now, just kill me now… please please _please_ just kill me now…"

"Hey, don't worry, Rob," Kid Flash reassured his distraught friend by placing an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be sure to tell Batsy that it was my fault."

"Like the way you told Flash that we were going on strike?"

"Exactly."

"Figures."

"Hey," started Kid Flash, getting visibly annoyed, "I did this for you, you little so-and-so. I could have gotten here much quicker and much easier _without_ you, remember? But since _you're_ my best friend, _I_ risked _my_ life to get us _both_ here at the _same time_ so that we could investigate _together_!"

"I don't care. You're still way out of my will, KF, and when I say 'way out', I MEAN 'way out'," Robin said stubbornly. He picked a couple of leaves out of his newly-spiked hair.

"Fine," grumbled Kid Flash. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, usually Batman and I would climb up the side of the building and drop in through an open window, or a skylight or something. But since he's the one with all the ropes and climbing equipment, I guess we'd better come up with Plan B."

Kid Flash went up to the back door of what used to be the headquarters of the newspaper _Gotham Snoopster_ and tugged on the knob a little.

"Locked," he announced unnecessarily.

"Oh, REALLY," grumped Robin, who was still in a lousy mood.

"Well don't just stand there. Help."

With a martyred sigh, Robin began to go around to all the windows, looking through each one for a sign of his senior partner before tugging on the locks. None of them gave an inch, and there didn't appear to be anyone on the ground floor at the moment, although all of the printing machines were going like crazy. He instantly recognized the sound of them as the same one that had been in the background during the Joker's threatening call.

_I wonder what they're printing…_ Robin thought, puzzled. And so, to satisfy his curiosity, the Boy Wonder pulled a pair of Bat-shaped binoculars out his utility belt and adjusted them until he could make out the headline on the stack of newspaper at the base of one machine.

When he saw what was being printed, he was too shocked to even come up with a noun for his 'Holy'. And when that happens, you know it's gotta be bad.

"Find something, Robin?" Kid Flash whispered, suddenly appearing next to his fellow hero.

"Geez! Don't do that!" Robin hissed back as he jumped, startled.

"Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the Batpole this morning!"

"Oh, shut up and look."

Robin shoved his binoculars at Flash's sidekick, and then peered through the window with Kid Flash as he used the binoculars to read the papers' headline:

**JUSTICE LEAGUE TEAMS WITH JOKER  
****IN WORLDWIDE CRIME SPREE**

"Whoa… holy Benedict Arnold…"

"That's _my_ line, buster. Go get your _own_ catchphrase."

"Well, _you _didn't say it."

"Well, how are we gonna get in there?"

The two pint-sized crime fighters took a look around. The door was locked, the windows were closed tight, and they had no way of getting to the second or third floors. Well, okay, they could have crashed_ through_ one of the windows, but that would alert the Joker of their presence, and perhaps put their senior partners in unnecessary danger.

"Maybe we oughtta call Commissioner Gordon for help…" Robin suggested, albeit reluctantly. He had really wanted to prove that he and Kid Flash could work perfectly well on their own, but this was an emergency. Maybe they did need a little help.

Kid Flash, however, felt differently.

"After what we did to that squad car? No way," he said.

"What WE did!" Robin squealed indignantly. "Who was the one who—"

"Hey!"

Robin sighed as Kid Flash literally sped off towards the far side of the wall they were standing against. He followed at a much slower rate, and found that his friend had spotted a little hole in the wall.

"Nice work!"

"Does this mean I'm back in your will?"

"No."

"Darn…"

After tucking the binoculars back in his utility belt, Robin got down on his hands and knees to examine the hole a little closer.

"Looks just big enough for us to get through," he decided, and then proceeded to demonstrate what he meant by wiggling through the hole. He felt the top of the hole brush against his back as he passed through, but was soon on the inside of the darkened building.

"C'mon, KF. Coast is clear."

"Right," grunted Kid Flash as he began to worm his way through the hole.

"What's taking so long? Hurry up!" Robin whispered after a series of grunts from Kid Flash brought no new results.

"I can't! I think I'm stuck! Help!" Kid Flash hissed, sounding alarmed.

"Now how can a skinny guy like you get stuck anywhere? Look at me! I got through without a problem!" Robin gloated as he suddenly felt the need for revenge.

"That's because you're even skinnier than I am!" Kid Flash shot back, getting even more irritated than before. "And I've been meaning to ask you if anyone's told you how much you look like a _girl_! Because you sure as heck are just as skinny as one!"

Flexing his bicep, Robin shot back, "Do girls have arms like this?"

"They do if they get 'em fixed! And your voice hasn't even changed yet!"

Robin's face instantly clouded over. That did it! That was the last straw!

"Good-_bye_, KF!" Robin growled.

Kid Flash watched with wide eyes as Robin stormed away from him and went to examine the printing machines by himself.

"Stop! Come back!" Kid Flash whimpered from the hole. "Okay, I take it back. Now help me outta here, huh?"

Robin sighed and nodded his ascent. Grabbing his friend by the arms, he placed one booted foot on the wall next to Kid Flash for support. Then he began to pull with all his might.

"YOW! Geez, what are you trying to do, pull my arms out of the sockets?"

"You'd deserve it if I did!"

Robin relaxed for a moment, letting his arms hang down limply. He considered asking Kid Flash whether he had eaten his rock collection before going out on this case, but decided to be nice for once and keep pulling.

"Just… a little… more…" grumbled Kid Flash. He could feel himself slowly being forced all the way through the small hole. Slowly… slowly… slow—

WHAP!

Well, he was out of the hole, alright. Unfortunately, Robin was unprepared for the moment when he popped out, and both boys landed in a heap on the concrete floor with a loud thunk.

"Ouch…" Kid Flash mumbled as his knee hit the concrete.

"Get OFF of me, bonehead!" Robin shot back. Maybe Babs was right. Maybe Wally _was_ a bonehead.

In spite of the insult, Kid Flash got up and then offered his hand to help Robin up, too.

"Well," Robin said when he was standing, "one good thing came of that."

"What?"

"Now I know why they call you _Wall_-y, huh? Hehe…"

"Listen, you little—"

Wally's insult was cut off when the lights were suddenly flicked on, bathing the entire room in a bright light.

"Hide!"

Kid Flash was already well-hidden behind one of the enormous printing machines by the time Robin flipped over the machine to join him.

_The advantages of being the Fastest Boy Alive_, he thought, somewhat smugly.

Kid Flash had never noticed it before: while Robin was very quick by normal standards, he was awfully slow compared with most other superheroes and villains. Oh, there was no doubt that the Boy Wonder could hold his own against the likes of the Riddler and the Joker, but what if fate someday pitted him against, say, Felix Faust, or someone else with major superpowers? Could he survive?

Suddenly, the smug grin had completely vanished from his face, and a very odd feeling of protectiveness washed over him. He didn't know what he'd do if some crook ever did in the Boy Wonder—heck, he didn't even want to think about that possibility. They were best friends, after all! He'd rather die than have anything happen to Robin, in spite of the way they teased each other. And while it must be said that Robin was quite good for a thirteen-year-old, he would be no match against someone like—

"Green Lantern!"

Robin's almost inaudible exclamation finally got Kid Flash away from his gloomy thoughts. He was about to ask what that comment was supposed to mean when he looked up and saw for himself:

The Joker had come downstairs to investigate the racket...

...And he had brought Green Lantern with him!

The boys stared, stunned, as both Joker and Green Lantern glanced around the large room. What did this mean? Green Lantern was now one of the Joker's henchmen? It wasn't possible!

Or had the newspapers been telling the truth after all?

* * *

**Me: Felix Faust DOES have superpowers right? On occasion, right? I don't know. I really don't know much, if you want to be honest. I just have a thing for the various DC superheroes, especially Dick Grayson/Robin. Now HIM I could tell you about...**

**Dick: Yeah, well, listen to this. Over in the _Star Trek: TOS-_universe, they've decided that you used the nickname 'KF' and then told the world it was yours when it wasn't. Which means you stole it.**

**Me: Hey, it was an accident! I said so in the disclaimer!**

**Dick: Tough. I'm taking you over there to stand trial for theft.**

**Me: You can't do that!**

**Dick: Hey, you DON'T OWN ME, remember? You said so! I can do whatever I want!**

**Me: ARRRGH!**

**(TAP is dragged out of the room, but Denny the Tribble stays behind to do reviewer replies.)**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**graymouse-**Humor stories are always fun (for Panamint), although Wally and Dick do make quite a pair, don't they? And if there's one thing TAP knows about, it's being short! Haha!

**fanficlover-**That is Panamint's favorite chapter, too! Glad you're enjoying this!

**Robin Knight-**I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wally and Dick do make quite a pair, don't they? Yeah, those two are always fun to be around. We got your message, too. Panamint would have updated this morning, but life got in the way. Don't worry: she doesn't consider you a pain in the neck. :)

**SarahC4321-**Thanks so very much for the compliment (and for the info on 'KF', haha)! And believe me, TAP is _very _proud! She's also wondering what happened to her cookie. ;-)

**Zarz-**Here's the update! Now let's pray that Wally doesn't intend to do anymore driving, shall we?


	6. Chapter 6

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Six_**

**DISCLAIMER: None of this is mine, and from here on in, this story will really start to remind you of either the 60's Batman series or a rejected Scooby-Doo episode. ;) At least I hope not. And for you movie buffs out there, yes I did 'borrow' the Joker's last two lines from Tim Burton's '89 Batman movie. (cough) And yes I have actually seen it. It was okay, I guess, but let's face it--Michael Keaton was no Adam West! (laughs maniacally as she leaves the room)**

* * *

Kid Flash opened his mouth to say something, but Robin placed a gloved hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. From that vantage point, Kid Flash could smell the dried oil on the boy's glove. He scrunched up his noise and pushed the hand away, fighting the conveniently-timed urge to sneeze. 

"You look over there," the Joker was saying. "Turn off the printing machines, so we can hear if they try to make a break for it. And if you find anyone, don't ask questions, just kill 'em."

"Right," Green Lantern agreed.

Robin and Kid Flash felt their jaws hit the floor at that response. It had only been one word, but that word had made them feel as if they were being plunged deeper and deeper into the Twilight Zone.

But they had no time to think about that. Instead, they had to worry about being discovered by the Green Lantern, who was coming dangerously close to where the boys were hiding out.

Just as it looked like the only thing to do was pull out a Batarang and hope Green Lantern didn't see it coming, Robin felt something digging into his back and turned his head to see what it was.

It was a handle.

Robin pulled it a little. To his surprise, it opened. Now he could see all of the gears and switches and technological stuff that made the printing machine work.

And a great hiding place.

He gave Kid Flash's hair a little tug before using his tremendous stealth skills to creep inside silently. Kid Flash glanced from left to right as if crossing the road before sneaking in after his friend. Then Robin closed the small door.

Only after he closed the door did he realize what a mistake it was.

First of all, it was completely dark in the tiny compartment, and Robin didn't want to reach for his flashlight for fear of banging his arm against something noisy. Second, Kid Flash's knee was now in his face. Third—and most importantly—there was very little oxygen now that the door was closed, especially since the newspaper ink, dust, and dried oil had all mixed together to create the most nauseating scent known to man. And since his breather was in his utility belt, he didn't really want to go for that, either.

_Besides, fair's fair. I've only got one breather. What about Kid Flash?_

Yes, in spite of all that his best friend had put him through in the Batmobile, Kid Flash was still just that to Robin—his best friend. They had had some pretty wild times together, and would more often than not end up in a mock squabble over something completely unrelated to anything, but that was part of the fun. Robin couldn't imagine life without his prankster pal.

But crime-fighting wasn't exactly the safest of occupations, Robin reminded himself as his reminiscent smile faded. What if Kid Flash's incredible speed failed him someday, and something happened to him? What if he was killed? What if he was killed _tonight?_ Robin didn't think he could forgive himself if something like that happened. He'd rather die than see Kid Flash get hurt.

Finally, when Robin was just about ready to take the plunge and pull out his breather anyway, he heard the Joker's muffled voice order Green Lantern back upstairs. There were footsteps as hero and villain headed back upstairs, then the tiny click of the light switch.

The very second the footsteps faded, Robin and Kid Flash threw themselves against the door and tumbled out onto the floor, gasping for breath as quietly as they could.

"You… okay, KF?" Robin breathed in a whisper.

"Yeah… you?"

"Yeah…"

Reluctantly, both boys dragged themselves to their feet, and Robin checked the watch that he always wore under his glove.

"Midnight," Robin said, mostly to himself. But Kid Flash heard anyway, expressed alarm at the time, and then explained to Robin about his hunch concerning the five o'clock deadline they might be fighting against.

"Well," Robin explained factually, "since we're already here, and we already know what the Joker is planning, _and_ we already know that he's done something to Green Lantern and is probably planning to do the same thing to the rest of the Justice League, then all we have to do is figure out what he's done to Green Lantern, save him and Batman and Flash, arrest Joker, and get out of here! I think we can do that in less than five hours…"

"_I _think you're giving me a headache."

"Then stay here and take an aspirin. I'm following Green Lantern to see what happened to him."

Robin turned away and began to make his way to the stairs when Kid Flash started snickering for no apparent reason.

"_What?_" Robin snapped.

"You've got newspaper ink all over your sitter."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not even gonna tell you what's written on your forehead."

Kid Flash's smile faded instantly as Robin stalked upstairs. When he was gone, Flash's sidekick went over to the window and took a look at his reflection in the moonlit glass pane.

Nothing.

"Just wait'll I get a hold of that runt…" he griped as he stormed upstairs.

At first sight of his friend, Robin smirked and said sarcastically, "I see you're headache is gone and you've decided to rejoin the investigation."

Kid Flash took a moment to glare at his grinning black-haired friend. Then he made a disgusted noise and raised his arm as if he was going to punch Robin in the nose before climbing the remainder of the staircase.

There was now a long hallway before them, with various closed doors on either side. Robin decided that he'd take the doors on the left while Kid Flash explored the ones on the right.

"Just be careful," he warned. "We don't know where anybody is right now."

"Right."

The pair promptly got to work, pressing their ears against the doors and peeking through keyholes to see if anyone was in the room they wanted to explore. But while Kid Flash was off exploring his third room, Robin had sprung ahead to the fifth room on the left and was busily going through the desk drawers.

The door shut softly. Robin froze in place. His back was to the door, and he hadn't noticed anyone approaching from behind.

"Kid Flash?" he whispered.

No answer.

"Hey, KF, is that you?"

This time he turned around to check.

Robin's eyes widened in terror at the sight before him. He started to yell for Kid Flash, but a large hand was clamped over his mouth before he could finish. The other hand slithered around his waist and picked him up as if he was no heavier a feather.

As if things weren't bad enough, the door opened again, revealing the Joker. He was grinning, as usual, but this time he was grinning straight at _Robin_, which gave the already-queasy Boy Wonder a funny feeling in his stomach.

"I found him going through your drawers," the Man of Steel explained, holding the struggling Robin out as if he were a trophy.

"Good," the Joker replied. If possible, the sadistic grin grew even wider. "Now would you be so good as to set him down in that chair?"

Superman did as he was told.

"Alright now, Birdie Boy…" the Joker taunted. "Just sit quietly, and don't yell when Superman here lets you go. We wouldn't want anything… _unfavorable_ to happen to your speedy little friend, now, would we?"

Robin glowered at his arch-nemesis, but didn't want to risk Kid Flash's life by doing something stupid while in such a vulnerable position. So when Superman let him go, Robin sat still and said nothing.

"That's a good boy…"

_What I wouldn't give to pop you a good one right in that stupid smiling smirking_ _mouth of yours, you son of a…_ Robin thought darkly.

"Now let's see," the Joker went on, laughing maniacally and pulling a small notepad and pencil out of his pocket. "Name: Robin the Boy Blunder, sidekick to the soon-to-be-terminated Fatman…" More laughter that just strengthened Robin's urge to sock it to him. "Current status: Guinea Pig #5…"

_Five! _Robin thought in a panic. _Well if Batman and Flash are still okay… and Green Lantern and Superman are one and two… who are the other three?_

As much as he hated to admit it, Robin felt as if he already knew the answer.

_Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter… the rest of the Justice League. Holy black cats, what rotten luck! Looks like Wally and I are their only hope. I have to get out of here!_

But Robin didn't dare try to escape. With Superman so close by, he didn't stand a chance of getting within ten feet of the door. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

"Oh, who cares about stats!" the Joker exclaimed suddenly, cackling more insanely than ever. He threw his supplies across the room as if to emphasize his point. Then, becoming serious, "We have work to do…"

The Joker bent down so that he was eye to eye with the Boy Wonder, so that Robin was practically touching the sick clown's twisted features, the ghoulish white face, the crooked teeth, the bright red lips that were eternally turned upward in a cruel smile…

"Alright now, little Robin," the Clown Prince of Crime whispered threateningly. "Tell me… have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

"_What?_" Robin whispered, feeling terrified.

"It's a question I like to ask of all my victims…"

Suddenly, a strange song filled the air. Robin didn't know where it was coming from, but he found himself captivated by the music nonetheless. He felt as if he knew the little tune, even though he had never heard it before. He tried to figure out what it meant, but felt his eyes closing, suddenly he just felt so tired, so tired and wanted to sleep… just sleep… just…

* * *

**Denny: Yes, we're back! Sorry for the delay. Oh, and I noticed that that idiot Panamint wrote in an earlier chapter that she was going to Disneyland. WRONG! It was Disneyworld. Gee, how stupid can you get...**

**Dick: (snickering) Luckily, she's still over in the _Star Trek: TOS_ universe getting court martialed for theft. So we're in charge now. Finally!**

**Denny: Yeah! So... now that we're in charge, what do you want to do?**

**Dick: I don't know. I've never been in charge before.**

**Denny: Come to think of it, neither have I.**

**Dick: I got it! Let's go make Captain Kirk do the reviewer replies!**

**Denny: HA! Brilliant! But he's residing over that court martial, remember? **

**Dick: Oh, yeah... well, now that I'm in charge, I say YOU do the reviewer replies! Haha! That felt so good...! (wanders off)**

**Denny: Sigh...**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**southrngrl16-**Thank you! Okay, so this isn't exactly an update that qualifies as 'soon', but the next chapter will be up much faster, I promise!

**SarahC4321-**Well, the cookie finally arrived. In one piece, too. I'll be sure to give it to Panamint the next time I see her. And she says that she'd be happy to sign your petition to own Roy, but as far as Dick is concerned, this means WAR! ;-)

**Andrew Joshua Talon-**You're welcome, and thanks for the reviews! Panamint loves reviews... and yes, this is before Teen Titans. Chaos? Yup, definitely. But don't tell Dick or Wally I said that or they'll use me as a baseball again.


	7. Chapter 7

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Seven_**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. There. And... Hawkgirl's eyes _are _green, aren't they? Right? (pause) Sorry, I haven't seen _Justice League _in a while. I quit watching when I found out that Dick Grayson was no longer Robin in their continuity. (sobs) And it was such a COOL show! (sniffles) Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Kid Flash cocked his head. He thought he had heard… Robin calling for him? 

Nah, couldn't be.

Could it?

As quiet as a mouse, Kid Flash snuck out of the room and crept across the hall. It was just a little too quiet for him. He suddenly had the terrible feeling that Robin was in trouble.

By sheer coincidence, the first keyhole Kid Flash peeked through showed Robin sitting in a chair. His head was bowed slightly, and he looked as if he was falling asleep.

And, worst of all, the Joker was squatted directly in front of Robin. Kid Flash had arrived just in time to see the super villain pull a funny gold object on a string out of his pocket and start waving it in front of Robin's eyes… and where was that music coming from?

The red-headed boy shook his head, trying to clear his mind. For some reason, he felt tired. It _was_ past his bedtime… but he was used to staying up at all hours of the night when there was an important case to solve.

Well, he couldn't just sit there and watch the Joker harm Robin. He had to get in there and do something!

But what?

He had fully intended to think of a plan first. He really hadn't meant to barge in without thinking—he had wanted to prove to Flash that he was just as capable of thinking things through as he was.

But that was before he noticed that Robin's blue eyes were quickly taking on a strange greenish hue.

That was when it clicked—the Joker had been _hypnotizing_ the League! And now he was doing the same thing to Robin!

And so, in barged Kid Flash. Fast as lightning (as usual), the boy raced into the room and shoved the Joker to the ground, knocking the metal object out of his hand.

Kid Flash looked over at Robin, hoping that the green was gone.

The first thing he noticed was that the green had indeed vanished, and that Robin was staring back at Kid Flash with his regular blue eyes.

"Kid Flash?" he said questioningly.

The second thing he noticed was that, behind the Boy Wonder, stood… Superman? What was he doing here? And what was with the strange greenish glow in his eyes? It was the same green that had been in Robin's eyes just seconds before. He hadn't paid much attention to it with Green Lantern because _everything_ about that man seemed green to him. But now that he thought about it, the same look had been in his eyes, too…

Superman! And if his eyes were the same as Green Lantern's…

"Oh, great…" he mumbled. Knowing he didn't have much time before the chase began, Kid Flash turned to Robin and spoke quickly, "Get Flash outta here for me, will ya? Good luck, Wonder Boy!"

And then he was gone, with Superman not far behind.

"No!" Robin cried out, suddenly terrified for his friend. "Kid Flash!"

If Superman caught him, he wouldn't stand a chance!

Robin hated being helpless. But there really was nothing he could do for his fellow sidekick at the moment—he was just too darned fast. He would never be able to help Kid Flash now.

_But there's one thing I CAN do,_ Robin thought suddenly. _I can do what he asked me to and get Flash out of here! _

_Don't worry, buddy. I won't let you down._

But first, he had to get rid of the Joker.

One-on-one against the Joker. NOW Robin was in his element!

It was over in less than five minutes. After a few well-aimed punches (from both parties), the Joker went down for the last time, felled by one of Robin's mighty side kicks.

_How I ever thought that 'side kicks' were useless is beyond me!_ the teen thought with an amused little grin.

The Boy Wonder lost no time in using some spare pieces of chain from one of the printing machines to tie up the unconscious villain, and then wiped his own bloody lip on the back of his hand. Now he had blood stains on his uniform in addition the oil and ink. Alfred was gonna kill him!

That was when he spotted the golden pendant on the floor near the corner. It also had a round green stone in the middle of it. He vaguely remembered the same object being waved in front of his eyes, but he had been so far under the spell at the time that the memory was very fuzzy.

Feeling the object was important, Robin picked it up and tucked it into his utility belt. Then he set out in search of Batman and Flash, hoping against hope that he would not meet up with any of the other members of the Justice League.

-

Nothing. That's exactly what Robin found on the remainder of the second floor. Absolutely nothing.

Well, okay, he _had_ had a brief scuffle with Hawkgirl in a room that Kid Flash would have explored, had he been present… and okay, it hadn't really been a scuffle. He had peeked through a keyhole, seen that her back was to the door, kicked the door down, and thrown a Batarang at her skull before she even had time to raise her Magic Mace Thing (as Robin lovingly referred to it as).

But there was one thing that was bothering Robin now, besides the obvious.

Just before the Batarang had hit Hawkgirl, she had whipped around at the sound of the door hitting the ground. Robin had noticed that there was a strange greenish glow in her eyes as she stared at him. Not that her eyes weren't always green, but the same glow had been in Superman's eyes, too. And Green Lantern's, come to think of it.

_Coincidence? Oh, yeah!_

And Robin would bet anything that it had to do with the funny necklace that he had taken from the evil clown across the hall.

_Is the Joker using hypnosis to turn the Justice League over to the other side of the law so they can help him in his scandalous scheme? No duh!_

_How? Well… I'm working on it!_

After the little tiff with the Thanagarian, Robin found another staircase that led to the third floor.

He knew it wasn't safe to go up there. Although Kid Flash was off somewhere keeping Superman occupied, and both the Joker and Hawkgirl were safely tied up here on the second floor, there were still three members of the Justice League unaccounted for—excluding Batman and Flash, of course. Hopefully he wasn't too late to save them!

Robin slowly began to ascend the stairs.

-

Kid Flash felt as if he had been running forever. He couldn't keep this up much longer—he was exhausted as it was. Sure, he and Flash could beat Superman over _short _distances, but this was ridiculous.

Dodging, ducking, and maneuvering all while running at the speed of light was very tiring. Especially with the Man of Steel hot on your tail; he had almost been caught twice already. Kid Flash had never been moving for this long before. He vaguely wondered what had become of Robin, but was too busy trying to get away from Superman to dwell on that thought too long.

_I **swear**, Boy Scout,_ the boy thought as he paused for breath for about two nanoseconds before zipping off in another direction, _don't you EVER get tired? Of course not. That's why you're the Man of Steel. Now I know why I'm on your side of the law…_

_…Most of the time!_

By this time, Kid Flash had led his nemesis around the world at least a dozen times (or so it seemed to him). He barely even noticed that he was back in Gotham City and was heading straight for the newspaper office at that very moment…

* * *

**Denny: ****I would be very happy to accept any and all signatures on my 'Prevention of Cruelty to Alien Species' at this time...**

**Dick: What?**

**Denny: Yeah, well, although TAP didn't actually mention it, when Dick and Wally were playing ball in the Batcave, that ball was me.**

**Dick: Yeah, right. Don't listen to him, folks, he's been hanging around the sugar a lot lately, so he's probably just--**

**(Denny pounces at Dick. We'll leave the rest up to reader imagination as it gets just plain ugly. Then, Ensign Chekov from **_**ST:TOS **_**shows up, looking very confused.)**

**Chekov: Vhat are you two doing?**

**Dick & Denny: HE started it!**

**Chekov: Um... vell, you might like to know that Panamint has found herself not guilty.**

**Dick: Huh?**

**Chekov: She multiplied herself vith the laptop and made up her own jury. She should back here any minute now.**

**Denny: RUN!**

**(All of the Muses go racing off in another direction as Panamint comes back and realizes they are gone.)**

**Me: Awww...**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**SarahC4321-**Hey, happy belated birthday! XD (throws confetti) I'm glad you liked the story so much, and thanks for the cookie! Your idea about sharing Dick sounds just great to me. Now if only we could sell DC Comics on the idea... hm... that's always a problem...

**Another Anon-**Boy, I sure am getting a lot of treats lately. Especially cookies. That's great! Thanks for the review (and the cookies)!

**:)-**Yeah, poor Robin. But when you're writing a Batman story like this, he's gotta get kidnapped sooner or later. And I sincerely hope the suspense hasn't killed you yet! ;-)

**Robin Knight-**Aw, that's so nice of you! Thanks! Things get a little bit worse for our boys in a couple of chapters, so hold on!


	8. Chapter 8

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Eight_**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own them yet, but I'm working on it... BWAHAHAHAHA! (cough, splutter) Ah-hem...**

* * *

Up on the third floor of _The Gotham Snoopster_ newspaper office, two still figures sat back-to-back, bound tightly to two chairs by Wonder Woman's lasso. Both had tried to escape; both had failed. 

"I hate to be the pessimist here… but it looks like this is it," muttered Flash. Now that Wonder Woman herself was nowhere to be found, the Joker's secret captives were free to talk.

"I hate to agree with you… and I don't. I still think we have a chance to get out of here," the Dark Knight countered.

"You have a plan, then?"

Silence.

"I didn't think so."

Still Batman said nothing.

"What're you thinking about?" Flash ventured to ask. Since they were pretty much goners anyway, he'd like to have it written on his tombstone that he had been brave enough to ask the Batman a question like that at least once.

"Robin," Batman said shortly.

"Yeah. I was just thinking of my own sidekick, oddly enough." With a chuckle and an imperceptible sigh, the Scarlet Speedster admitted, "Sure wish I could see the kid again."

"Yeah. Even if they did insist on forming that… _union_."

There was another pause while Flash thought over that comment. Then he found himself confessing that he thought the boys had had a point.

"_What,_" was Batman's reaction.

"I know, I know. But… I was just remembering all the times Kid Flash figured things out before I could, and all the cases that I never would have solved without his help. And all the times he never even got a thank you for it," Flash concluded. Everything his partner had said seemed so clear now. Too bad he was about to become one of the Joker's brainless henchmen and would never get the chance to tell Wally…

"Robin did them."

The abrupt sentence was a mystery to Flash.

"Did you say something?"

"Robin did them," Batman repeated in his usual ominous tone. "Robin's the one who solves the Riddler's riddles. Not me. He_ always_ solves them. In under five seconds, usually."

Flash opened his mouth to say something—probably something registering his extreme shock (A thirteen-year-old was better at riddles than Batman was?)—but for once, the Dark Knight had more to say than just three sentences per conversation:

"We were fighting the Riddler the night before they started that stupid strike. Robin solved the riddles. Robin caught the Riddler, got that black eye for his trouble. I took the credit." And then he finally admitted, "I shouldn't have done that."

"Looks like I'm not the only one suffering from a guilty conscience, huh?"

"Don't get _smart_ with me, Allen, or you'll have more than just the _Joker_ to worry about," Batman snarled.

"Eh, don't worry about him, Flash," a rather young voice advised from the shadows. "His bite is worse than his bark!"

And out from the shadow of the staircase stepped the one and only Robin!

Seeing the looks of shock on the elder heroes' faces, Robin giggled and added, "Yeah, I know that was backwards. But let's face it—Batman and I are pretty backwards people!" Pause. "Did you really mean what you said about our strike? Wait a second, of course you meant it. You're trussed up there with the Lasso of Truth; you HAVE to mean it!"

"I meant it when I said it was _stupid_," Batman growled. But it wasn't his normal growl, Flash noticed for the first time. Now that he thought about it, his voice had always become a little lighter, a little less haunted whenever the colorful Boy Wonder was in the room.

"I _meant _what you said about how you shouldn't have taken credit for what _we_ did," Robin corrected, sounding irritated. "And for your information, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to me the same way you talk to the Joker!"

Apparently, Robin didn't notice the lighter tone Batman took on whenever he was nearby.

"On a more serious note, we got the Joker's call," Robin went on, examining the glowing gold rope that kept his and Wally's senior partners captive. "And, for the record, just because we didn't want to see you guys get your brains fried by some cuckoo doesn't mean we're not on strike anymore. We are."

"…You said 'we'," Flash observed hopefully. "Is Kid Flash here, too?"

"He _was_," Robin mumbled.

"'_Was'_!"

"Yeah. He's probably in Czechoslovakia by now making sure that Superman doesn't come back and tear us up into confetti. In other words, 'live bait'."

But Flash wasn't listening anymore. His teenage nephew was being chased around the globe by the Man of Steel? No!

Meanwhile, Robin had gotten a firm grip on the lasso and was yanking on it with all his might.

"Robin, it's useless," Batman said tiredly. "You know perfectly well that Wonder Woman is the only one who can work this."

Robin mumbled a curse under his breath. This wasn't lost on Batman, who instantly demanded to know what he had just said.

"Uh…"

WHOOSH

POW!

"Yowch!"

Well, Robin's prayers had been answered; he didn't have to answer Batman's question. Unfortunately, that answer came in the form of Kid Flash, who wasn't really paying attention to where he was going at this point and crashed straight into his fellow sidekick. And, as has been mentioned, Superman was right behind Kid Flash. So now the three heroes lay in a tangled mess on the floor.

"What is it?" Batman demanded, craning his neck to find out what had caused the commotion. Flash didn't need to ask; he had recognized the blur that was his sidekick and had renewed his struggle against the lasso, even though he knew it was hopeless.

"Kid Flash! What the—?" Robin cried. He stared wide-eyed at the hyperventilating teenager, whose face was now as red as his hair. He was so preoccupied with his friend's condition that he didn't notice Superman at all.

But Kid Flash did.

Grabbing the Boy Wonder's arm, he muttered a "Hang on" before using the last of his strength to transport them both across the room.

As you have probably already guessed, traveling at the speed of light is no walk in the park. Well, except to someone like Kid Flash who's used to things like that. But to a kid like Robin…

"Ugh, now I _know_ I'm gonna be sick!"

And indeed, Batman noted, his poor partner's face had taken on a previously undiscovered shade of green. But then again, so had Superman's eyes… and everyone else's…

…And now everyone was up on the third floor of the newspaper office.

If you're wondering how they got there, while nobody was looking, the Joker had managed to get himself free of the chains, with a little help from Martian Manhunter. And now he and his new cohorts were surrounding the two sidekicks, ready to carry out the Joker's orders as soon as they were issued.

Once again, Kid Flash was the first to notice.

"Uh, Rob?" he started nervously. "If you're gonna hurl, do it fast, because I think we're gonna have a bigger problem in about twenty seconds."

Robin looked up to see what that meant, and the green promptly gave way to paper-white.

"Oh, how right you are, Speedy!" the Joker chuckled.

"I ain't Speedy—he's with Green Arrow, remember?" Kid Flash shot back.

"And pretty soon, you'll be wishing you were with them instead of with me! Unless, of course… you are willing to negotiate…"

"Forget it, Joker!" Robin yelled, suddenly forgetting the nausea that had been ailing him all night. "We don't make deals with the likes of you!"

"But you haven't even heard my proposition yet! Oh, Bats, you really should have taught this boy the value of patience," said the Joker, clucking his tongue in mock disappointment.

_I **tried,**_ Batman thought to himself.

"Now boys, I believe you have something that belongs to me. If you just hand it over, then I might just be willing to discuss a… a little _compromise _with you…"

"You mean the pendant?" Robin queried.

"Exactly! Now where is it…?"

"Don't give it to him, Robin," Kid Flash warned. "He used that thing to help hypnotize the Justice League."

"I know. I figured that out, too. And even if I hadn't, there's no way I'd hand anything over to this creep!"

"Good for you!"

Both Batman and Flash mentally groaned. Even though their boys were completely surrounded by the world's greatest superheroes-turned-bad—any one of whom could beat the heck out of them both at the same time—plus one of the world's most evil super villains, they were still being as cocky and confident as ever.

Would they never learn?

"Are you sure now? We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, would we?" the Joker went on, his comments punctuated by morbid chuckles. The fake concern he showed for the boys' welfare made Flash sick to his stomach. "Just give me the pendant, and I can guarantee temporary safety for the both of you. What do you say?"

"NO!" the teens hollered.

If he was free, Batman wasn't sure whether he'd be patting Robin on the back for his bravery or giving him a good sound spanking for his brashness.

The Joker shrugged his shoulders in resignation, but actually seemed pleased with the boys' response. Neither of the boys' senior partners wanted to know why he was so happy.

But they _did_ know.

"Alright," sighed the clown. "I gave you a chance, but…"

He raised his hand and, with a simple finger snap, the Justice League attacked!

* * *

**Me: Eeek! Oh, no!**

**Dick: What are YOU worried about? YOU aren't the one getting pulverized!**

**Me: I'm worried for you and Wally.**

**Dick (sarcastic): Oh, well NOW is a GREAT time to start, Panamint! THANK you!**

**Me (glaring): Anyway, sorry for the delay, people. We were in New York last Saturday, and this past week I've been involved in the Altador Cup on Neopets. It's sorta like the World Cup, except the sport is Yooyuball, which is sorta like a 'soccer meets lacrosse' kind of a deal. I'm playing for Altador and my sister is playing for Meridell and...**

**(Notices the strange looks she's getting from her Muses and the blank looks she's getting from her readers)**

**Me (sigh): If you're really curious, go to neopets (dot) com. If not, Dickie here is about to do the reviewer replies, so you can read that. Not that there's a lot to reply to...**

**Dick: Sigh.**

**Me: My sentiments exactly.**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**Sarah4321-**Panamint's only reviewer! Congratulations! Anyway, Panamint says she really likes your 'take-over-the-world' scheme, but I, personally, am not overly fond of the whole kidnapping part. I wish you luck in everything else, though.


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Sidekick Strike**_

**_Chapter Nine_**

**DISCLAIMER: No, none of the characters are mine. And for those of you who actually cared, Altador lost to Krawk Island. (wails loudly) That's it! I'm going with the Lost Desert! Take THAT. XP Oh, and Neopets isn't mine either. Just so you know...**

**Warning! Insanity ahead! Not that the whole thing isn't insane, but really, this is where the influence of the sixties show may start cropping up again. I hope nobody kills me; this is really the only way I could explain things semi-logically. (snorts) And most everything I said about the Roma is true (yes, I actually did research, people), although you can pretty much guess what ISN'T true. THAT was inspired by too many Disney movies, as Wally will point out...**

* * *

Neither Batman nor Flash could bear to watch the unfolding battle before them—if you could call it a battle, that is. It was more like a massacre. It was clear that both Kid Flash and the Boy Wonder were giving it all they had. But both were already tired from the night's events (whatever those may have been), and with people like Superman and Wonder Woman all trying to beat their brains out, well, it was nice knowing them. 

"Let them go, Joker!" Batman boomed over the sounds of his own sidekick's screams. "You want us, not them!"

"Perhaps, but a couple of extra bodies never hurt anyone. Besides, they know of my top-secret plans! Can't let them get away now, can we?"

Trying to ignore the sound of Superman's fist as it hit Kid Flash square in the nose, Flash put in threateningly, "You heard him! Leave the boys alone! You know they haven't got a chance!"

"Ah, but that's the beauty of it!" countered the Joker.

What the Flash wouldn't give to punch him right in the stomach! And everywhere else, too!

Well, after what seemed like an eternity of bloodshed, the Joker apparently grew tired of watching the teens getting beaten to a pulp. He snapped his fingers once again, and the Justice League withdrew.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Kid Flash and Robin were lying on the ground—the first face-up, the other face-down—unmoving, barely conscious, and so obviously in pain. Actually, they both looked pretty much dead. The vision scared their partners, perhaps more than they would have liked to admit.

"Looks like you learned a very important lesson—never talk back to your elders!" the Joker declared merrily. "Now are you going to give me the pendant or not?"

Kid Flash just groaned in response. Joker gave him a none-too-gentle kick in the ribs to get a better answer, but only got a louder and more abrupt groan.

"I swear, Joker… when we got out of this, I'm going to make you pay for that," Flash growled.

"What do you mean, '_when_' you get out of that? You mean '_if_'!"

"_No._ I mean _when_."

"So much for pessimism," Batman uttered, just loudly enough for Flash to hear.

"Things have changed. This is _war_."

"My sentiments exactly."

After the two heroes had finished declaring unconditional war against the Joker, the clown himself informed the boys that they had five minutes to change their minds before he would come back.

"And next time, you won't have a second chance! See you later, boys!"

With an evil laugh, he was gone, followed by the five hypnotized Justice Leaguers.

The very second that their footsteps died down, Kid Flash sat up rather stiffly—startling his senior partner, who hadn't thought he was conscious enough to do that—and gave Robin a nudge.

"You okay, Wonder Boy?"

Robin just groaned, but eventually managed to prop himself up on his elbow and threaten, "'Boy Wonder' is one thing… but putting it in reverse is quite another. So don't _ever_ call me that _again_. Or _else_."

"He got that line from you," Flash told Batman with a smirk.

"Yup, he's okay," added Kid Flash.

With a series of groans and weird faces, the boys somehow managed to get themselves to their feet. Not bad, all things considered.

"Are you alright, Robin?" Batman asked. Or, as far as Robin was concerned, 'interrogated'.

"Oh, sure. I was just captured by the Joker and had most of the Justice League all on my back at the same time, pounding me as if I were pizza dough. But I'm just _fine_, Batman, just _fine_."

"Yup, he's definitely okay!" Kid Flash grinned.

"Oh, shut up. Hey, what's that?"

Once again, Batman was forced to crane his neck to see what the boys were talking about. Turned out that Robin was pointing to a little table in the corner of the large attic, and on that table was a thick brown book. It looked very old.

Kid Flash walked (or rather, limped) over to the table and began to examine the volume. Robin wasn't far behind, although by the time he was by his friend's side, the Fastest Boy Alive had already tried to open it with no success.

"I think it's locked," he said gloomily.

"Hey, look at the cover," Robin instructed suddenly. Pointing, he decided, "It seems to be a lock of some kind. Now if we could only find out what fits in it…"

Robin glanced around, hoping to find the object, but Kid Flash just kept staring at the funny shape his friend had mentioned. It looked familiar…

"Hey, Rob! You got that pendant with you?"

Without a word, the Boy Wonder pulled out the Joker's charm and handed it to Kid Flash, who stuck into the engraving on the cover of the book. There was a click, and it opened instantly.

"Nice!" Robin grinned. "You're good!"

"You aren't so bad yourself," replied Kid Flash. "Gee, this thing looks like… like an ancient spell book or something…"

Flipping through the volume, his face clouded over as he failed to recognize the words.

"Or maybe it's just instructions on how to install ancient satellite dishes. In ancient French. Here, Robin, you take a crack at it."

Kid Flash slid the book across the table so that the Boy Wonder could get a better look at the funny writing. He instantly broke into a wide smile at the sight of the old familiar language.

"I think he's got it," Kid Flash observed.

"You bet I do!" Robin cried excitedly. "This is Romany!"

"Who's he?"

"It's not a person, for gosh sakes, it's a language. My dad was Rom and taught me a little bit before he… well, I've been studying Rom for an extra-credit project at school. I think I remember enough to read this stuff…"

"Where's Romany?" Kid Flash interrupted after about ten seconds.

"Hm?" said Robin, only half-listening.

"Well if there's a Romany language, there's gotta be a country to go with it."

Robin sighed and rolled his eyes, then said rather sarcastically, "Well, if you wanna use the more _popular _version, then say _gypsy_!"

"You're half-gypsy?"

"Oh, brother… look, I'll talk to you later, okay? Sheesh…!"

Batman and Flash waited patiently while Kid Flash waited _im_patiently for Robin to finish reading the first page of the book.

"Look, I hate to rush you," the other boy interrupted again after a while, "but we've only got about two minutes left before the Joker comes back. And I don't know about you, but I don't fancy being used as a punching bag twice in one night."

He rubbed at the bloody scratch on his arm as if to emphasize the point.

After a second, Robin finally announced, "Well, KF, you were right. It does seem to be a spell book."

_'KF'?_ Flash thought wonderingly as his nephew beamed.

"It seems that these spells were originally used against the Germans back in the forties," Robin went on. "The Roma people were one of the many groups who were persecuted by the Nazis during World War II—like the Jews, they were often killed or sent to concentration camps. So some Roma men got together and created these spells to help defend themselves."

"Cool…" Kid Flash breathed, not realizing that he had just been fascinated by a free history lesson. Then, with a grin, he added teasingly, "Wait, let me guess: _Holy_ _"Bedknobs and Broomsticks"!_ Am I right, or am I right? Haha!"

Robin just glowered. He didn't appreciate being made fun of.

"Well, if you've finished acting like the idiot you are, then I can tell you my theory." Kid Flash stifled his giggles long enough to glare back at Robin, who just continued, "We've both figured out that the Joker is using hypnosis and a magic pendant to hypnotize the Justice League, right?"

"And that wacko song, remember?"

"Of course. So I'm guessing that he somehow dug up this book, found the hypnosis spell, and got the bright idea to use it for his own evil purposes!"

"And if there is a _hypnosis _spell," Kid Flash reasoned, "there's got to be a _counter-_spell in here somewhere, too, right?"

"KF, I love the way you think!"

The two teens smiled and high-fived each other, then winced in pain before going back to the book, searching frantically for the counter-spell that would save the Justice League.

Meanwhile, the two elder heroes would have been exchanging surprised glances, had they been in the position to do so. They had always known that their sidekicks would someday be expert enough to function on their own, but… so soon?

"They're good together," Batman observed, keeping his voice lower than usual. Last thing he needed was for Robin—or, heaven forbid, Kid Flash—to overhear the compliment. They'd gloat for life.

"Yes," Flash agreed. "Looks like we've been holding them back more than encouraging them."

And Batman agreed. He had no choice; he was tied with the Lasso of Truth, for crying out loud! But, he wondered, would they be able to find the counter-spell and make it work before the Joker returned?

* * *

**Me: Yeah, I know, fairly large stretch of the imagination, making Robin and Kid Flash alright after all that, but as you can see, it was necessary. Bear with me here.**

**Dick: FAIRLY large stretch?**

**Me: (glower) Anyway, I just noticed something cool.**

**Dick: Uh-oh... (sighs) Okay, what is it?**

**Me: Flash's secret identity is Barry Allen, right?**

**Dick: (unimpressed) Oh, really.**

**Me: Well, ya know the Bee Gees? The full name of Barry Gibb is _Barry Alan _Crompton Gibb. Sure, it's spelled differently, but it sounds the same. That's weird.**

**Dick: (still unimpressed) Uh-huh. Go do the replies, TAP.**

**Me: Okay... HEY!**

**Dick: Ha, ha! Gotcha!**

**Me: (grumbles stuff that would get her reported unless she changed the rating)**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**Yourperfectdisaster-**Thank you for reviewing ,and the guys say thank you for being worried about them! Apparently they're under the impression I don't care, and they're glad to hear _someone_ does. :P

**Tasha Teh Fox-**I have yet to start watching _Justice League _again, and since I think it just ended (?), I don't think I will anytime soon. I still have the episode that made me stop (Grudge Match). Anyway, I'm glad you like the story, and thanks for the luck with the Altador Cup! I need it...

**Lil kany-**Robin's my favorite, too! I'm happy you are enjoying my story, and I hope you continue to enjoy it! The next chapter is the last one, so let's hope it's good!

**crybug-**Really? That's cool! You're welcome (wish _I_ could see the cartoon series...). And I'd also like to say how sorry I am that Terror Mountain lost. I know exactly how THAT feels... :(

**SarahC4321-**Good! I'll be waiting to hear what you have to say... maybe we could hire people to kidnap the DC executives and force them to give us the characters instead? Anyway, of course I appreciate your reviewing! I _love _it when people review more than once per story! It's cool!

**CosmicEssence-**Yippee! Thank you! Priceless? Whoa... I've never written anything _priceless_ before... (tries not to let it go to her head) Thanks again!


	10. Chapter 10

**_The Sidekick Strike_**

**_Chapter Ten_**

**DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing.**

**Yes, that disclaimer was short for me, because I wanted to apologize. No, honestly. I tried to give this chapter a more authentic feel by throwing in some Rom to make myself look smart. Bad idea. I discovered (the hard way) that Rom is not just ONE language; there are many different dialects (Welsh Rom, Greek Rom, Syrian Rom...). Plus there is a severe lack of Romany-English dictionaries out there on the Web. So what I'm saying in this chapter is probably gibberish, and I apologize (I can't remember what it's supposed to MEAN, even. I wrote this story a couple of months ago). Once again, I apologize if I offend anyone. I did try, but if you want to yell at me, go right ahead. I probably deserve it for killing the language. I hope I didn't say anything bad... **

**P.S. If there's anyone out there who actually speaks Rom... HELP!**

* * *

"I got it!" 

Three heads shot up at the sound of Robin's triumphant cry. The red-vested boy was grinning triumphantly and pointing to a page in the book that had a picture of the magic pendant on it.

"So what does it say?" Kid Flash asked excitedly.

But before Robin could answer, they heard a door open from not so far away…

The Joker's maniacal laughter filled the air.

"Ready or not, here we come!" he cried out joyously, making Robin's previously-forgotten queasiness return.

"What does it say, hurry up, what does it say!" demanded Kid Flash, sounding as frantic as Robin looked.

"Um, well… we need the pendant, and the music, and then somebody has to recite these words while waving the pendant in front of the victim's face and playing the music in the background."

"What, are you crazy! The second the Joker finds out what we're doing, he'll sic Hawkgirl on us! And Superman! And Wonder Woman! And—!"

"Al_right_!"

"Unless, of course, we can find out what's causing the music. Then I can steal whatever it is and distract the Joker from issuing any orders while you de-hypnotize the League."

"But what causes the music…?"

"A tape recorder in his left pocket," Batman informed them quietly. "I saw it earlier in the Watchtower."

"Well why didn't you say so!" Robin hissed.

Just as the Joker reappeared on the third floor.

With the Justice League not far behind him.

"Oh, boy… you ready, KF?" the Boy Wonder whispered to the background of the Joker's wild laughter.

"No…" Kid Flash muttered with a gulp. "Well… wish me luck. And you guys in the chairs had better close your eyes, just in case something goes wrong and we hypnotize you, instead."

Needless to say, neither Batman nor Flash approved of their sidekicks taking such huge risks against such dangerous adversaries. And they probably would have said something about it, had they thought it had a fraction of a chance of doing any good.

"So, boys," the Joker started again, "have you thought over my little proposition?"

Kid Flash would never know how he worked up enough guts to speed up to the Joker, stick his hand in his pocket, pull out the little tape recorder, and turn on the funny music all without stopping. But he had done his part. Now the rest was up to Robin.

Robin wrenched the charm out of the book and held up with his left hand, while supporting the book in his right. As the Joker was screaming something threatening at the barely-visible Kid Flash, he gently set the charm to waving and began to speak the language of his ancestors:

"_Chorav, kor, kerdem armaya…"_

The Justice League hadn't moved since Kid Flash had started the music, and all of their eyes had stayed transfixed on the pendant once Robin had started reciting the words of the spell. There were still several sentences left, and Robin tried to finish them quickly before Kid Flash wore himself out and the Joker caught up with him.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The Boy Wonder was just one word shy of finishing the spell and saving the League when Kid Flash tripped over a loose floorboard and was sent flying.

And so was the tape recorder!

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the tape recorder went up, up, up… then began to come down, sure to be irreparably smashed as soon as it hit the floor. Robin moved his mouth noiselessly, unable to speak.

The Joker and Kid Flash looked at each other, and both went after the falling recorder.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who got there first.

"Robin, GO!" Kid Flash yelled, snapping Robin out of his shock-induced daze.

"_Chavaia!_" Robin blurted out.

And it was over. The green gently faded out of the Justice League's eyes, and several of them were now looking around in general confusion, although Wonder Woman went over to untie Flash and the Batman while Martian Manhunter took it upon himself to remove the threat of the Joker (don't worry, both Batman and Flash got in a few good punches later on, just before the police showed up and put an end to the violence.)

While all this was going on, Robin happened to notice Kid Flash standing to one side, looking at the tape recorder in his hands, appearing to be rather unhappy.

"What's the matter, KF?" the Boy Wonder asked, walking over to his friend. "We just solved a case—a JLA case, at that! Everybody's safe… so what's wrong?"

"_You_ solved the case," Kid Flash replied, sounding as annoyed as Robin had concerned. "_I_ practically messed everything up."

"We all make mistakes," Robin insisted. "Like the way I walked straight into the Joker's trap downstairs and was practically hypnotized, remember?"

Robin placed a hand on Kid Flash's shoulder.

"You did good, buddy," he said with a smile.

And Kid Flash smiled back.

-

"Would you explain something if we asked you to?"

It was Kid Flash who had popped the question. Both boys were currently being carried piggy-back by their senior partners. Neither one had been exactly thrilled by the suggestion, but considering that they had just been beaten up by the Justice League, they really weren't in any condition to walk all the way downstairs to the Batmobile. They were lucky they could still walk at all—especially Kid Flash, after all the zipping around he had done just minutes before.

"That depends what you want explained," Flash replied.

"Well, I know Joker is a real criminal mastermind and all that, but how did he manage to hypnotize the majority of the Justice League so quickly? I mean, doing _anything _to Superman is not exactly easy. Trust me. I know," his sidekick said.

"I'm not exactly sure," the senior partner admitted. "Everyone except Batman had already been put under by the time I got to the Watchtower."

"Then maybe Batman can tell us," Robin suggested, sounding annoyingly perky for someone with two soon-to-be-black eyes.

"We can't be sure until we ask everyone else, but I think the Joker must have managed to hypnotize one of the other members first, and then got him or her to lead him to the Watchtower and get the others into one room so he could hypnotize them, too," the Dark Knight explained to his fellow heroes. "That was when I received a call from Superman, telling me to come to the Watchtower. He and Hawkgirl met me at the Transporter."

"Did they beat you up?" Kid Flash queried, eyes wide.

Batman shot the red-head a look, then went on with his hypothesis, conveniently skipping the part when he had indeed been beaten up by the other Leaguers:

"…The Joker ordered me to call Flash and get him to the Watchtower…"

"They DID beat you up!"

"…He threatened to put me under and send me back to the Batcave to kill Robin unless I did what he asked. _I. Had. No. Choice_," he finished, looking pointedly at Flash as he enunciated his last sentence.

"Don't worry about it. I would have done the same thing in your position."

"Who's worried?"

Robin snickered. And, when nobody was looking, Batman allowed himself a small smile at the sound of his partner's laughter.

By the time the conversation had ended, they had reached the ground floor of the newspaper office. Commissioner Gordon was there with a couple of his officers, although the Joker had already been taken back to Arkham. As soon as Gordon spotted the four heroes, he went straight over to them, trying not to laugh at the sight of the two teenagers on their partners' backs.

"Well, it seems as if Gotham City owes the both of you a great deal! Congratulations on another job well-done!"

"Thank you, Commissioner…"

Robin and Kid Flash exchanged glances. After all this, they STILL weren't going to get any recognition? Sheesh! Would they never learn?

That did it. They were going on strike again as soon as—

"…But actually…"

The two boys looked at each other once again as the Scarlet Speedster and the Dark Knight set their partners down. What now?

"…They're the ones who solved the case. Robin and Kid Flash should get all of the credit for this one, Commissioner."

This time, the looks they traded were ones of pride and triumph, if not barely-concealed soreness; they didn't even notice as Gordon's eyebrows shot up in pleased surprise.

_Mission accomplished!_

And then, Robin's "holy" dream-come-true—Commissioner Gordon congratulated them and shook hands with them both.

"Oh, and Batman," Gordon said abruptly, looking up from the grinning pair of sidekicks, "I've had several reports that the Batmobile was seen… shall we say, 'running amuck' throughout the city earlier tonight. Did quite a bit of damage, too."

As the Commissioner looked at the elder heroes with an expectant/curious expression on his face, Robin and Kid Flash had paled considerably and were throwing each other panicked looks. This wasn't lost on their senior partners, neither of whom was at a loss for words, although it was Flash who spoke up first:

"Like we said, Commissioner—the boys should get _all_ of the credit for this one!"

The two teens watched in horror as Batman and Flash headed towards the exit, leaving them to do the explaining to Commissioner Gordon.

"Wait!" Robin cried.

"Where are you going?" added Kid Flash.

Turning for just a minute, Batman replied, "You're the ones who wanted to take credit for your accomplishments. Now I expect you to do so… we'll be talking about this at _home, Robin_."

And they were gone.

**_The End_**

* * *

**Me: ...Lost Desert lost to Roo Island, who I am now playing for. And in REAL life Australia tied with Croatia 2-2, so the 'Socceroos' are now on their way to the Round of 16 for the first time in history...**

**Dick: Hey, what's with you? You look like you're in shock.**

**Me: ...Well, you know that person who sometimes reviews my stories as '60's-bat-fan'?**

**Dick: Yeah. So?**

**Me: ...My sister just confessed that THAT is HER!**

**Dick: You're kidding! And you didn't know?**

**Me: HECK NO! If it had been 'Gilligan-fan', I may have suspected but... this is weird...**

**Dick: Wow. Now I know why everyone is so worried about anonymity issues on the internet!**

**Me: Yeah... (looks at all her reviews and instantly perks up) WOW! REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS! (huggles reviews) Lemme do the replies today, Dickie! Please?**

**Dick (shocked, pleased): Um... (sarcastic sigh) Well, it'll be a big sacrifice--you know how much I enjoy doing the replies--but if it'll make you happy...**

**Me: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

**Dick: Sucker.**

**Me: What?**

**Dick: Nothing!**

**_Reviewer Replies_**

**CosmicEssence-**Thanks for reviewing again!And your explanation makes a lot of sense (to me and my warped mind...). Thank you for making it make sense! I'm not sure if Dick was considered half-Rom in the sixties. Probably. But as you can see, his knowledge far outstrips my own (cry).

**Yourperfectdisaster-**I'm glad they're okay, too. I mean, I couldn't actually kill them, could I? Well, I guess I _could_, but... anyway, I'm glad you liked it!

**crybug-**(is very proud) Thank you! And rest assured that you aren't the only person who doesn't always review fics she reads... (eyes angry authors warily) And I love random babbling! Do it all the time...

**Lil' Kanny-**Yup, this is it! Thanks for being a loyal reviewer! 8) Incidentally, I'm working on another fic right now; I'm on page eight. Should be done by the end of July, if I'm lucky. And Roy's in it this time. But I'd better shut up now before I give it all away...

**SarahC4321-**'Fine-tuning' is a good idea. Like, where do the executives live, and whom can we bribe to take them hostage? LOL. Thanks for reading! You rock, too!

**Robin Knight-**Here's the ending for you! It's nice to know people like these stories as much as I enjoy writing them...

**sunago-**Yeah! New fan! I love it when that happens! Thank you! Anyway, Neopets is great! Neomail me if you want (I'm 'panamint' there). Roo Island for the Cup!

**Tasha Teh Fox-**I never had anything against Krawk Island. (ominous music) _Till now... _LOL. ;-) Making up facts sounds like fun, I oughtta try it. (snicker) Thanks! And yes, repeats stink.


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